The Boston Indicators Project

Hub of Innovation

The Hub of Innovation highlights some of the most forward-looking local, regional, national and international work in the ten sectors tracked by the Boston Indicators Project. We invite you to explore the future in the present -- and to nominate additional breakthrough projects and initiatives at the local, regional, national or international levels by completing a feedback form by clicking on Contact Us.

Conceptualized and developed by the Boston Indicators Project in partnership with Planet-TECH Associates, exploring trends and innovations to improve our communities. Learn more at www.planet-tech.com.

Over the course of its 375-year history, Boston has surmounted one boom-and –bust cycle after another through civic imagination and technical innovation that were often fueled by a new wave of immigration. From the world’s first written Constitution still in use and the nation’s first regional park and subway systems to the research-based "innovation" industry clusters of today, Boston has stood at the forefront of technological and civic transformation. Boston is also at the hub of a multi-state regional economy linking more than five million people and of national and international networks of individuals, organizations and institutions working together to make the world a better place.

Metro Boston U.S. Firsts in Science and Technology
1721: African vaccination method for small pox, Onesimus, a slave 1814: Steam-powered looms, Waltham 1846: Anesthetic, ether, MGH 1869: Automatic vote-counter, Edison 1876: Telephone, Bell 1878: Bicycle commissioned, Pope 1884: Carbon filament lamp, Latimer, son of slaves 1895: Safety razor, disposable blade, Gillette 1900: New acoustics, Symphony Hall 1942: Jet engine tested, G.E.	1944: Mark I computer, Harvard1946: Microwave, Raytheon 1947: Chemotherapy, childhood cancer, Farber 1948: Instant photography, Polaroid 1948: Whirlwind computer, MIT 1954: Successful organ transplant, Brigham Hospital 1962: Successful reattachment of limb, MGH 1969: Apollo 11 moon flight, Draper Lab navigation 1969: Communication – two computers, BBN	1972: E-mail, Tomlinson & BBN 1975: Decoding of DNA, Gilbert 1978: Software, VisiCalc, for new personal computer, Bricklin 1983: Therapy to halt multiple sclerosis, Biogen 1983: Peacekeeper missile guidance, Draper 1990: Human Genome Project, Whitehead Institute 2001: Robotic surveillance, Draper 2002: Flight systems for space shuttle/station, Draper
Metro Boston U.S. Firsts in Civic Imagination
1630: Boston, “a city upon a hill,” founded on land of the Massachuset people 1634: First public market 1635: Public school, Boston Latin 1636: College, Harvard 1675: War of Indian resistance 1704: Regular newspaper 1776: Published black poetess, Wheatley 1780: Oldest written constitution still in use, Adams 1783: State abolition of slavery 1784: Commercial bank 1798: Commissioner of Public Health, Paul Revere	1809: Professional orchestra 1831: Abolitionist Movement 1830s: Women’s Suffrage Movement 1837: State Board of Education 1852: Free public lending library 1854: Paid city police force 1862: Football club 1872: Nursing school, Dr. Dimock 1881: City/metro park system 1897: Subway 1903: World Series win 1909: Cooperative education, Northeastern University 1924: Mutual fund, MFS	1937: Pullman Co./African-American porters contract 1966: Black head coach in the NBA 1971: Quincy Market renovation as festival marketplace 1970s: Network of health centers and CDC’s 1982: Business/schools agreement, Boston Compact 2000: Major harbor clean-up completed 2002: Cable suspension Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, part of Big Dig, largest highway project

The Innovation Times Lines were conceptualized by the Boston Indicators Project and researched and developed by the Boston History Collaborative.